Month: November 2021

Chelsea and I continue our series on Thanksgiving by recognizing how precious life really is and how society wants to make it disposable.We tell the gripping story of our second son’s battle for life. Doctors advised us to get an abortion for false pretenses. Our son struggled to survive his birth. Over the years he underwent heart surgeries and intestinal surgeries. Yet, the hand of God was in his life to prove life is worth the fight.We pray his miraculous story will encourage you to trust God and put life in His hands.The names have been redacted to protect the innocent.

Chelsea and I give a brief overview of the first Thanksgiving celebration in 1621. We look at how the pilgrims sacrificed their lives for religious freedom. Their example of thanking God in tough times should inspire us to be thankful for what we have, even when we don’t think we have much.We also compare what the pilgrims and the Wampanoag natives likely ate at the three days of feasting with the Thanksgiving Day staples we enjoy today.We close this episode with another round of Thanksgiving “dad jokes.”Sources Consulted:Sarah Pruitt, “Colonists at the First Thanksgiving Were Mostly Men Because Women Had Perished,” History.com, November, 16, 2020.“First Thanksgiving Meal,” History.com, Updated November 18, 2021.Scriptures Cited:Proverbs 15:15Psalm 92:1

On my drive to work Tuesday morning I relay some evidence that Jesus died on a cross structure. Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that Jesus died only on a pole with no cross beam.My brother John and I were recently interviewed on The Quest For Truth with Keith Heltsley to talk about our recent book When the Watchtower Knocks: Discussing an Encounter With Jehovah’s Witnesses. I am giving much of the same information about the cross as I presented in the interview.What I mention extra in this episode is the unicode character set on many computers! Certain Coptic characters tell us Jesus died on a cross, not just a “torture stake.”References:Interview: Quest For Truth episode 345: “Discussing Jehovah’s Witnesses with Daniel and

Chelsea and I look on the bright side as we kick off the Thanksgiving season. We talk about how to have a perspective of thankfulness when things are hard.We finish the episode by telling each other some Thanksgiving “dad jokes.”

During my drive to work I give my thoughts from reading a PBS article about President Biden’s “Build Back Better” bill. Although he expressed concern about inflation he claimed the new $1.2-trillion bill would help fight inflation.We’ve heard the statement “less is more.” Biden seems to be claiming “more is less” as yet more irresponsible theft and spending is supposed to lessen the effects of previous theft and spending.The Bible gives examples that shed light on the upside-down wisdom of the world.Sources Consulted:Josh Boak and Colleen Long, “Biden says infrastructure bill will ease economy woes with time,” PBS, November, 10, 2021.Brad Polumbo, “Ivy League Analysis Destroys Biden’s Entire Argument for Multi-Trillion-Dollar ‘Build Back Better’ Spending Plans,” Foundation for Economic Education,

My wife Chelsea and I close our series about marriage. In this episode we finish tackling the taboo subject of divorce.We discuss Jesus’ answer to the question of divorce from the Pharisees. We talk about the houses of Hillel and Shammai as background for this question.Jesus directed his audience to the beginning with God’s design for marriage. He also explained that adultery was the grounds for divorce. Does mean other heinous problems like violence are not grounds for divorce? We give our understanding of this context as well as other passages in the law that show other technical grounds for divorce.Bottom line: Divorce harms even when it is necessary. God’s design for marriage is a man and woman for life.

As I drive to work I give an overview of Galatians chapters 4-6 from studying the epistle the previous night.Paul explains how Jesus came to fulfill the law. He makes an analogy of two very different covenants with Sarah and Hagar to contrast promise with bondage.Paul shows how liberty via the fruit of the Spirit is better than bondage to circumcision and law-keeping for righteousness.Those who are spiritual restore those who have faltered.

My wife Chelsea and I continue our series about marriage. In this episode we begin to tackle the taboo subject of divorce.We open with some divorce statistics:About 44% of marriages in the United States end in divorce.The top three reasons for divorce roughly include “lack of commitment,” “incompatibility and growing apart,” and “communication problems.”We then look at how divorce is defined and prescribed in the law of Moses and how things shifted a bit by the New Testament. We observe two interesting facts:The Old Testament only discusses how a husband can “put away” his wife. We talk about why the land promise to the tribes of Israel possibly explains the apparent patriarchal system of marriage, but also how the sphere